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“Are We Really Born That Way?”by Kimberly Powell
You got your green eyes from your mother, and your freckles from your father. But where
did you get your thrill-seeking personality and talent for singing? Did you learn these from
your parents or was it predetermined by your genes? While it's clear that physical
characteristics are hereditary, the genetic waters get a bit more murky when it comes to an
individual's behavior, intelligence, and personality. Ultimately, the old argument of nature
vs. nurture has never really been won. We do not yet know how much of what we are is
determined by our DNA and how much by our life experience. But we do know that both
play a part.
What is Nature vs Nurture?
It has been reported that the use of the terms "nature" and "nurture" as a convenient catchphrase for the roles of heredity and environment in human development can be traced back
to 13th century France. Some scientists think that people behave as they do according to
genetic predispositions or even "animal instincts." This is known as the "nature" theory of
human behavior. Other scientists believe that people think and behave in certain ways
because they are taught to do so. This is known as the "nurture" theory of human behavior.
Fast-growing understanding of the human genome has recently made it clear that both
sides are partly right. Nature endows us with inborn abilities and traits; nurture takes these
genetic tendencies and molds them as we learn and mature. End of story, right? Nope. The
"nature vs nurture" debate still rages on, as scientist fight over how much of who we are is
shaped by genes and how much by the environment.
The Nature Theory - Heredity
Scientists have known for years that traits such as eye color and hair color are determined
by specific genes encoded in each human cell. The Nature Theory takes things a step
further to say that more abstract traits such as intelligence, personality, aggression, and
sexual orientation are also encoded in an individual's DNA.
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The search for "behavioral" genes is the source of constant debate. Many fear that
genetic arguments might be used to excuse criminal acts or justify divorce.
The most debated issue pertaining to the nature theory is the existence of a "gay
gene," pointing to a genetic component to sexual orientation.
An April, 1998 article in LIFE Magazine, "Were You Born That Way" by George
Howe Colt, claimed that "new studies show it's mostly in your genes."
If genetics didn't play a part, then fraternal twins, reared under the same conditions,
would be alike, regardless of differences in their genes. But, while studies show they
do more closely resemble each other than do non-twin brothers and sisters, they also
show these same striking similarities when reared apart - as in similar studies done
with identical twins.
The Nurture Theory - Environment
While not discounting that genetic tendencies may exist, supporters of the nurture theory
believe they ultimately don't matter - that our behavioral aspects originate only from the
environmental factors of our upbringing. Studies on infant and child temperament have
revealed the most crucial evidence for nurture theories.
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American psychologist John Watson, best known for his controversial experiments
with a young orphan named Albert, demonstrated that the acquisition of a phobia
could be explained by classical conditioning. A strong proponent of environmental
learning, he said: “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own
specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and
train him to become any type of specialist I might select...regardless of his talents,
penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors.”
Harvard psychologist B. F. Skinner's early experiments produced pigeons that could
dance, do figure eights, and play tennis. Today known as the father of behavioral
science, he eventually went on to prove that human behavior could be conditioned in
much the same way as animals.
A study in New Scientist suggests that sense of humor is a learned trait, influenced
by family and cultural environment, and not genetically determined.
If environment didn't play a part in determining an individual's traits and behaviors,
then identical twins should, theoretically, be exactly the same in all respects, even if
reared apart. But a number of studies show that they are never exactly alike, even
though they are remarkably similar in most respects.
So, was the way we behave engrained in us before we were born? Or has it developed over
time in response to our experiences? Researchers on all sides of the nature vs nurture
debate agree that the link between a gene and a behavior is not the same as cause and
effect. While a gene may increase the likelihood that you'll behave in a particular way, it
does not make people do things. Which means that we still get to choose who we'll be
when we grow up.